FIG. 20 is a series of diagrams useful in explaining a conventional haptic feedback controller 1100. FIG. 20(A) is a perspective view showing the haptic feedback controller 1100 and FIG. 20(B) is an exploded perspective view showing the haptic feedback controller 1100. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a control panel 1150 equipped with the haptic feedback controller 1100. FIG. 22 is a block diagram of the control panel 1150.
As shown in FIG. 20B, the haptic feedback controller 1100 includes a DC motor 1108 and a knob 1102 that is coupled to a rotating shaft of the DC motor 1108. The DC motor 1108 is disposed in an internal space enclosed by a top case 1104 and a bottom case 1106 of the haptic feedback controller 1100. As shown in FIG. 21, the knob 1102 is rotatable on the control panel 1150 in a rotational direction (the “D1 direction” and the opposite direction) of the DC motor 1108.
It should be noted that the knob 1102 is constructed so as to be capable of being pushed back in eight directions (the “D2 directions”) on a horizontal plane. The knob 1102 can also be constructed so as to be capable of being pushed and pulled in a perpendicular direction (the “D3 direction” and the opposite direction) along the rotating axis 1108ax of the DC motor 1108.
As shown in FIG. 22, in the haptic feedback controller 1100, a sensor 1112 detects a rotational state of the knob 1102 using an encoder disk 1110 (see FIG. 20B) and outputs the detection result to a local microprocessor 1116 as information relating to the rotational state of the knob 1102. In accordance with the information relating to the rotational state of the knob 1102, the local microprocessor 1116 outputs information for controlling rotation of the DC motor 1108 to an actuator interface 1118 for controlling rotation of the DC motor 1108. By doing so, with the haptic feedback controller 1100, it is possible to provide a user who operates the knob 1102 with haptic feedback (see Patent Document 1, for example).
However, DC motors are normally characterized by not producing a large torque during low-speed rotation. This means that with the haptic feedback controller 1100 where the rotating shaft of the knob 1102 is directly coupled to the DC motor 1108, during low-speed rotation of the knob 1102, it is not possible to provide sufficiently large haptic feedback to the knob 1102. As a result, the haptic feedback controller 1100 has had the problem of a loss in the ability to express haptic feedback.
For this reason, another conventional haptic feedback controller that can solve the above problem has been proposed. FIG. 23 is a series of diagrams useful in explaining this other conventional haptic feedback controller 1200. FIG. 23(A) is a perspective view of the haptic feedback controller 1200 and FIG. 23(B) is an exploded perspective view of the haptic feedback controller 1200.
As shown in FIG. 23B, in the haptic feedback controller 1200, a knob 1202 is coupled to a DC motor 1208 via a belt transmission mechanism (pulleys 1210, 1214 and a belt 1212). This means that even when the knob 1202 rotates at low speed, the DC motor 1208 is still capable of rotating at quite high speed, so that in the haptic feedback controller 1200 it is possible to provide sufficiently large haptic feedback to the knob 1202 even during low-speed rotation of the knob 1202 (see Patent Document 1, for example).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3,086,718